


Everyone has secrets, don't they?

by reveetoile



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28365450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reveetoile/pseuds/reveetoile
Summary: Oh-chan is a mangaka trying to get new ideas for his new story. He then starts to go to a new neighbourhood and starts hanging around at a particular cafe. Whenever he's there, there's this guy (Nino) who's always on his laptop and his RGB-headphones clicking furiously at his mouse. And Ohno's imagination runs wild.
Relationships: Ninomiya Kazunari/Ohno Satoshi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	Everyone has secrets, don't they?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pupilurker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pupilurker/gifts).



> Pupi <3 I have no idea if this is even getting close to what you had in mind. Thank you for this wonderful year and all the support over this year. I hope next year will continue with lots of fangirling and watching shows together. Let's continue our friendship, okay?

Ohno groaned as he rolled around on his bed and pressed his face against the cushions. He was going crazy. The publisher already called him a handful of times to ask about the new series he had signed to draw for the magazine. 

The only problem was that whenever he sat at his desk, fully motivated to draw the first outline for the next story, his mind came back blank. He had tried everything. He had stopped drawing for a while and spent time with his other hobbies, like fishing, cooking or playing with remote control cars. But nothing helped. Every time he found himself in front of the sketchbook that waited to be filled with an interesting story, his hand stopped moving. 

It also didn't help that whenever he thought he had the faintest idea for a new story, and sat down not to lose the inspiration as soon as the pen touched the paper it all went away. He stared at the doodles he had made lost in mind and then growled at the silly faces of his operative at the magazine. He closed the sketchbook and then packed all his things in a small cross shoulder bag and set off in a quite desperate manner. 

He had never been fond of drawing outside, but desperate situations needed desperate solutions, he thought grimly as he set off for a long walk until he would get somewhere that caught his eyes. He could not lose the contract with the magazine. As stressful it was to have to publish a small manga strip weekly, it paid the bills, and the thought of not having a regular income was even more stressful. 

He walked a bit, watching the buildings of his neighbourhood, but it was too much grey for his taste, so his feet next led him to the park, walking alongside the paved path in the middle of stressed housewives, playing children and people walking their dogs. It was at least a bit more colourful here, he thought as he looked around, hoping for inspiration to hit and maybe think of a story to write. Anything really. If he had the right idea, he was sure that he could even create a very mundane story that seemed interesting. 

It didn't always have to be sci-fi or adventure stories, he thought sullenly. The everyday life could be exciting, following a person's steps, peeking into their lives and how they dealt with their problems. 

Maybe something mysterious? 

How about a woman that was a housewife by day and a master thief in the night? How would she keep it secret from her husband and children? What could be annoying to her? How could she decide on what to steal? Pettiness? Or was it something that belonged to other people and she brought it back?

Ohno grimaced and shook his head. That didn't sound too enticing and much too complicated to draw on the two pages he had in a week. 

A schoolboy finding his first love? The sweet nervousness and innocence of first loves and the utter happiness if it was reciprocated. But that was boring, and there were too many stories about that. It would need a twist and Ohno had no idea what that twist could be. 

He shook his head as he stared at the sky, maybe two lovers separated by thousands of miles, light years even. One on a planet far away and the other waiting. They could exchange calls now and then and then when he was old the other would come back, while his lover left behind was still so damn young. There was no way he could bound them to an older man anymore. Ah, but that was too tragic, Ohno thought with a wry smile. He would probably cry drawing that and make a mess out of his work. Better not. 

Ohno chuckled at himself and his silly thoughts, while also feeling slightly lighter. It was more ideas than he had in weeks at least. 

His eyes caught a sign for a coffee shop, flowers drawn around the bubbly letters and he decided to go there. A coffee and a piece of cake sounded about right for now. 

—

A cheerful voice greeted him as he entered the coffee shop and he felt directly welcomed by the warm and joyful atmosphere. He smiled at the grinning man behind the counter and bowed his head. 

"Hello," he greeted, and the man chuckled.

"Welcome, it's your first time here, right?"

Ohno blinked but nodded. "I saw the sign in the park. Never have seen it before," he admitted, and the man laughed softly. 

"We are newly opened, but I have a good memory of faces. So welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Ohno grinned and nodded. It somehow felt as if he knew the person behind the counter already well, even if it was the first time he saw him. "Is working allowed?" he asked though as he fingered his bag. 

"Yes, if it's not during the lunch rush."

"Great," Ohno said, and the man handed him a small piece of paper, which Ohno stared at in confusion. 

"It's for our wi-fi," the man, Ohno frowned as he read the name on his tag, Aiba said with a chuckle.

"Ah… thank you, but there is no need," he said and gave it back. He didn't use the internet often, and for his work, he only needed a pen and a sketchpad. It always felt good working like that. 

"Okay, what can I bring you?"

"A coffee, and…" Ohno trailed off at the sight of too many delicious looking cakes to chose, and he bit his lips. 

"Shall I recommend a cake for you?" Aiba offered as he realised how hesitant Ohno was and Ohno smiled as he nodded thankfully. 

"Yes, please," he said, it would put his mind on ease if he didn't have to choose himself.

"Coming right up. Choose a table, and I bring everything over."

Ohno nodded and chose a window seat where he could look outside and observe the inside of the cafe he was in. It looked nice and comfy. The colours were warm, and many plants were hanging from the ceiling or standing in the corners. He had chosen a table with a regular chair, but there were also benches and armchairs, he even saw a sofa in a slightly darker corner. 

"Here you go," Aiba said and put his order in front of him. Ohno smiled as he saw the roll cheesecake with a red berry sauce and thanked the man, surprised to see a second coffee on his tray. He hadn't seen anyone else here that was alone, so his eyes automatically followed Aiba, and he was surprised to see another person a few tables away, concentrating intently on his laptop. The man was not even looking up when Aiba put the cup down and taking the empty one beside his elbow away. The man was concentrated on what he was doing. 

Ohno slowly ate the cake, sighing at the tangy taste of the cheese filling and smiled as he observed the other man. 

He looked interesting, Ohno thought. His eyes were intense even if they were focused entirely on the screen in front of him. He had big, yellow headphones on, which made his face look smaller than it was and Ohno thought he could hear the furious clicking of his fingers on the keys and mouse. 

—

Huh, Ohno thought as he finished the cake. His mind was swimming with all the possibilities of what important business the other could do, and without realising it, he pushed the empty plate away and eagerly unpacked his sketchbook and pens. He lined them up, cleanly beside the paper and started to draw. 

A spy, he worked for the government as a hacker and was meant to save Japan from being bombed by a foreign country, maybe aliens. There was a timer on the upper left corner slowly ticking down, while still going too fast. Will he make it in time?

There were still multiple codes to crack while the timer went down. Always against the time, always in a hurry as to not lose against the unforgiving timer that counted down. There was no time to look away from the screen for even a second to thank the waiter that brought him coffee now and then. He was in secret here, his secret layout in a small family cafe that nobody would ever think hid the best hacker of Japan. 

Nobody would think that the waiter with the welcoming smile and comforting laughter was also working for the government the perfect hideout.

And the time was still counting down. He had to be careful this was the last wall but also the most secure one. He had to be cautious as not to alert the enemies that he was so close to hacking into their system into getting their biggest secrets to make sure that Japan was safe. 

And the counter was still counting down. It looked impossible for him to hide his traces while making sure to find the right password to get the documents he needed, but he had to try his best. A false step now could bring them to push the red button and the end of Japan. Never did he want that. 

A small beep, alerting the spy of his success in getting through the last wall. A little glance back up at the clock. Only a minute to go and the walls he had put up to shield his entrance would go down, the emergency backup in the other programme taking place he had to hurry. 

There it was the folder he needed, just a few more seconds…

And finished. His shoulders relaxed as he disconnected from the platform, his fingers closing around the handle of his lukewarm cup as he downed the coffee in one gulp and leant back, a victorious smile on his face. Once again, he had made sure they were safe. He was the best, after all. 

— 

A week later and Ohno was back again, the cafe was fuller this time around. Ohno took some time to draw the shop from the outside, a great look of the inside, people sitting in small groups, the waiter serving them with his bright smile, and then closed upon two lonely figures, sitting alone on two tables occupied with their thoughts. 

One of them was staring at the other, wondering what was so important on his laptop that he couldn't take a look away from it. He didn't look up when a child cried beside him, because his mother dragged him outside. He didn't even seem to realise the noise around him as he wore his big headphones, shielding him effectively from the sounds around him. 

His look was almost scary as he pursed his lips and typed away on his laptop, gripping his mouse more tightly in his other hand.

The next panel went around that figure, peering over his shoulder into the laptop, trying to get a peek into the world that consumed the man. 

Words and numbers flew over the screen, a countdown. 

3 - 2 - 1

Confetti and sparkles and then the game started. The look on the face of the stranger got even more serious, the clicking of his left hand faster as his right hand typed in light speed on the keyboard. 

Always the same keys, different combinations that were accompanied by lights and shots and hits on the screen. 

More words were flowing over the screen, more numbers and a confusing amount of characters. 

The clicking got even more furious, and you wonder how the mouse hasn't broken yet, but now you see sparks coming from the fingers of the man, doing his magic. 

The characters get less, the smile on his face devilish as he rolled his shoulders, just slightly. He stopped blinking long ago and then with the last click on the keys, one that resounded in the room, ha fanfare could be heard through the headphones, sparks erupting on the screen and a crown appearing. 

He won again. 

The one billion yen sign was blinking on the screen and voices congratulating him for winning the world gaming cup, once again. 

The man looked up, meeting the lone figure's eyes watching him and a smirk appeared on the handsome face.

—

Another week, another story about the mysterious person. Today Ohno imagined the other as a programmer. Tons of rows with colourful commands and letters that Ohno had no idea what they meant. 

He stared at the paper in front of him, marking the background where he would need more information. He had no idea how programming worked, but it was okay. 

A panel with a thoughtful wrinkle on the forehead as the other man paused in what he was doing. The blinking cursor as the screen waited for another line to be added, another command and the closing line. 

The blinking cursor that was mocking the man right now because he had no idea what was missing, something was wrong, and he needed to figure out what command he had written wrong.

Sweat collected on his brows as his eyes wandered over row and row of commands. Where did he go wrong? The deadline was close, and he needed to figure out what was wrong. 

A sigh, a frustrated groan, and a hand was gripping his hair as he pursed his lips in an adorable pout. His fingers were reaching for the coffee to refuel, but he had to realise it was empty. 

He blinked and looked up…

—

A cup was put on the table with a soft noise, but it was enough to rouse Ohno from his almost frantic drawing. He flinched, sighing when a line went diagonally over the panel he had just been drawn, and he looked up to the intruder. 

He gasped when he was face to face with the stranger, who looked at him with some amusement twinkling in his eyes. Ohno's eyes wandered in confusion through the cafe, and he saw the laptop now closed on the table the stranger had sat on just earlier. 

The big, yellow headphones were now around his neck, and the face looked bigger now, but still not too big. He hadn't realised a mole hid on the chin of the other man, the chin mostly hidden by the bulky shadows of the headphones and he wanted to reach out to touch it. It fitted the face perfectly, and he felt sorrow that he had never included it in his stories.

"So what am I this week?"

Ohno blinked as the voice seemed to caress his back. It sounded warm like honey and Ohno shuddered involuntarily. At least the other didn't seem to be mad, he thought with a small embarrassed smile. 

"What?"

"I'm a subscriber to Ara-Mag. Imagine my surprise when a new series by my favourite artist appeared there, Ohno-san," he grinned, and Ohno could feel his cheeks heat up. 

"Uhm sorry?"

"Nah you make my life much more interesting than it is. So what am I today? I loved the story where I a killer during nights, choosing my victims on strange obscure websites."

"A programmer," Ohno stuttered after a moment, and the other pouted. 

"Oh, how boring," he said. "But I can't rescue the world each week, I suppose. Tell me, will the cute observer of your main protagonist be ever brave enough actually to talk to me?"

"Uhm, what?"

"Nino, are you tormenting paying customers?" Aiba suddenly asked, and the stranger - Nino - looked up with a grin. 

Finally, a name and it was just as cute as the man in front of him, Ohno thought. He watched their argument for a moment, his mind finally catching up to what happened. 

Nino had called him cute, right? At least he called the observer in his manga cute, and it was him! And Nino talked about the other character of himself. So he had to have called him cute right? 

Well, at least he had told him he was his favourite artist and he was not mad. Ohno decided to take it as a positive reaction. At least he didn't get yelled at.

"Well?"

"Huh?"

"Will the cute observer ask me out?"

Ohno couldn't fight the smile as Nino watched him with curious eyes. 

"Would you help him solve the mystery, Nino…?" he trailed off, and Nino grinned. 

"Ninomiya Kazunari, nice to meet you, even if it feels strange to say that since it feels like we already met a few times now. But Nino is fine."

Ohno nodded and cocked his head. "So what do you actually do? You look so focused."

Nino moved forward and grinned as Ohno closed in as well. Nino's lips were almost touching his ear, and Ohno felt his heartbeat accelerate. 

"I am doing the finances for Aiba-chan, but that's not all," he said with a wink. "And my real secret identity is still for you to find out. I still might be a spy, a gamer or…"

Nino paused, and Ohno pursed his lips to complain, but Nino ducked his head and moved a tiny bit closer to close his lips over the other. 

"…or a thief," he added as he moved back again and stood. Ohno looked after him in a daze as Nino packed his laptop and winked at Ohno one last time before leaving. 

And very suddenly Ohno had tons of ideas on how to move the story between the two protagonists along because there had been two all along, he had just been too blind to realise. And he was looking forward to the next week and how it would proceed.

**Author's Note:**

> And with this, it's also a wrap. All Christmas stories are written and posted, thank you for all your support this year. It's not over yet, the most challenging part for us fans is still to come but remember: We are not alone and at least I will continue to write stories in 2021. I still have lots of ideas. Please keep me in your favour. All kinds of comments make my day so much brighter, and I'm always happy to get a notification. So please don't be shy to leave a comment whenever you feel like it, regardless of how old or new the story is <3


End file.
